Smallest Countries 2022

What is the smallest country in the world?

One way to rank the world’s nations is by population size, while another is by total geographical area. Many of the same countries will show up on both lists, but they will not be in the same order.

The total area of a nation is the sum of all of the land and water within its boundaries. Its total area is a numerical representation of its physical dimensions and is often expressed in miles squared or kilometres squared.

Countries like Russia (6.59 million square miles), Canada (3.85 million square miles), and China (6.6 million square miles) are among the world’s biggest (3.75 million square miles). The area of nations seldom changes from year to year, in contrast to population growth or decline.

It is not hard to see why the larger a region’s total area is, the more people it can support.

But the land’s nature and climate (mountainous vs. plains, swamps vs. deserts, etc.), as well as the land’s degree of development (cities vs. towns vs. rural), and its use (farming vs. forestry, manufacturing, residential, etc.), all have major effects on the population density of a given area.

Therefore, a nation with a large landmass does not always have a large population, and a country with a small landmass may have a very high population density.

The top 10 smallest countries (measured by total area in km²/mi² as of 2021)

1. Vatican City — 0.49 km²/0.17 mi²
2. Monaco — 2 km²/0.78 mi²
3. Nauru — 20 km²/8.1 mi²
4. Tuvalu — 30 km²/11.6 mi²
5. San Marino — 60 km²/24 mi²
6. Liechtenstein — 160 km²/62 mi²
7. Marshall Islands — 180 km²/70 mi²
8. Saint Kitts and Nevis — 260 km²/101 mi²
9. Maldives — 300 km²/116 mi²
10. Malta — 320 km²/122 mi²

Vatican City, with just 0.19 square miles, is the world’s smallest nation (.49 square kilometres). Second place goes to the ultra-luxurious principality of Monaco (0.78 mi²/2.02 km²), followed by tiny San Marino (24 mi²/60 km²), which is in third place.

Take note that only nations are included in this list. Smaller territories such as New Zealand’s Tokelau, France’s Saint Barthélemy, and China’s Macau are ineligible since they are not sovereign states.

What country has the least population in the world?

Vatican City, with a population of just over 800, is the world’s smallest nation.

Tokelau (a New Zealand territory) has 1,373 people, Niue (also a New Zealand territory) has 1,619 people, the Falkland Islands (a UK territory) has 3,533 people, Montserrat (also a UK territory) has 4,977 people, and Saint Pierre and Miquelon (both French territories) have 5,766 people.

A startling number of countries have populations that could fit inside a football stadium, and that is only counting the ones recognised as independent by the United Nations.

List of the World’s Smallest 10 Countries (by Population)

1. Vatican City — 800
2. Nauru — 10,876
3. Tuvalu — 11,931
4. Palau — 18,169
5. San Marino — 34,017
6. Liechtenstein — 38,250
7. Monaco — 39,511
8. Saint Kitts and Nevis — 53,544
9. Marshall Islands — 59,610
10. Dominica — 72,167

Also See: Retirement Age by Country 2022

American population trends and the census

Every 10 years since its initial count on August 2, 1790, the United States has conducted a census. The United States Census is conducted every ten years by the Census Bureau.

Even before the formal decennial census, comparable efforts had been made to tally and document the United States population.

The National Archives and Records Administration of the United States is in charge of preserving these papers. The United States population went from 132,164,569 in 1940 to 331,449,281 in 2020, according to the census, demonstrating how a population may expand and alter over many decades.

While most countries experience an increase in their population over time, a few are seeing a fall. The decline is the result of several factors, including negative net migration and rising mortality rates, particularly as the post-World War II baby boomer generation ages into retirement.